Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle is no stranger to anyone who tunes in regularly to EWTN. A wife and mother of five, she is the host of "Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms" and "Catholic Mom's Café," as well as being a frequent guest on "EWTN Bookmark." "Faith and Family Live" (now incorporated into Catholic Digest) named her one of the Top Ten Most Fascinating Catholics in 2009.

O'Boyle is also a prolific author, having written some 20 books on faith and family, including "Rooted in Love" and "The Kiss of Jesus." Invited to the Vatican in 2008 to participate in an international congress for women, which marked the 20th anniversary of the Apostolic Letter Lulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women), she has received an Apostolic blessing on her books from both St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

One of the things she treasures most is her friendship with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. They met more than a dozen times and shared a correspondence that spanned a period of 10 years, which inspired her to become a Lay Missionary of Charity. You can find out more about O'Boyle at her web site, www.donnacooperoboyle.com.

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle has written a new book of Lenten reflections for families, and, like her other books in this series – "Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa," (Ave Maria Press), "Bringing Lent Home with St. Therese of Lisieux," (Ave Maria Press) and "Bringing Lent Home with St. John Paul II," (Ave Maria Press) this one also invites the reader to contemplate the season through daily "prayers, reflections and activities." Each of the day's meditations is based on the three traditional pillars of Lent – prayer, fasting and almsgiving – as well as the life and words of a particular spiritual guide; this year, that guide is, appropriately enough, Pope Francis.

The format of the book is designed to be easy for families to use; as O'Boyle says in her introduction, " … simply gather your family and move page-by-page, day-by-day, forging your way through Lent." She suggests gathering wherever people are comfortable, and then using her words as a springboard to what works best for each family's individual circumstances.

The basic structure remains the same each day; first, there is a quote from Pope Francis which sets the tone for all the rest. Each one is taken from such diverse sources as his homilies, remarks at his general audiences, and even his comments on Twitter. Although some are longer than others, they all bring one particular thought into focus and are incorporated into the opening prayer, which can be led by either a parent or an older child. Then there is a brief story from the pope's life (by the end of Lent, the reader is taken from the day he was born in 1936 until the present), followed by a suggestion for daily "fasting," which can be anything from "Today, fast from wanting things to go your way" to "Today, fast from too much busyness as well as technology." (In fact, one of the real strengths of this book is that most of the "fasting" suggested is often from attitudes or habits, although food is occasionally mentioned as well.)

The daily meditation ends with an idea for "almsgiving" which, like the fasting suggestion, moves beyond just material goods to things like "Make a point to place emphasis on others' good words and accomplishments" or "Show mercy and forgiveness today." The final prayer, which incorporates daily intentions as well as the familiar Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, brings everything to a close. The fact that the rhythm of the book is simple and very adaptable to the circumstances of most families makes it a good resource for Lent.

The only caveat I would mention is that this book is probably best saved for families of school-aged children; even at that, some of the material will need some extra explanation on the part of the parent (there is a daily parent reflection to help with this, which O'Boyle suggests be read ahead of time.) I found this especially true in the telling of the pope's life; while adults might appreciate what is going on, very few little ones will understand the intricacies of things like "the solidarity campaign for the bicentenary of the independence of Argentina." (Some adults may want to do a little extra research on some of these things as well!) In fact, I found I identified more with O'Boyle's telling of Francis' life once he became pope; at that point her chronicling seems move from mostly facts to an emphasis on the pope's message.

This book can be used with any cycle of Lenten readings, and so can be revisited in another year as well. The last page, which is Francis' prayer to "Mary, Undoer of Knots," can be prayed any time.

Carrie Handy is the Respect Life Coordinator for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.

Project Rachel

Retreats 2016

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Day of Hope and Healing

(Burlington Area)

Friday-Sunday, April 8-10, 2016

Rachel's Vineyard Retreat Weekend

For more information about these retreats or to speak confidentially to a trained Project Rachel professional, please contact: (802) 658-4118 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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